


Guarding My Country

by Hollow_Eve



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Danger, F/M, Guardian - Freeform, Humanity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-23 11:10:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6114669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hollow_Eve/pseuds/Hollow_Eve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Madeline Williams always got along with her sister, Amelia. But when Amelia comes to live with her, she brings along her secrets. The two sisters are thrown into a new world of criminal organizations and crumbling governments. When every country needs a protector, who's left?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moving In

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Guarding my Country](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/178353) by DexheartDusk. 



> This story was originally posted (by me) under the name DexheartDusk on FanFiction.net.  
> I have rewritten the chapters and changed a few details, but the main story is the same.  
> Hope you enjoy it.

Amelia may have been my half-sister, but she was also my best and closest friend. In the beginning, we couldn’t see each other much, but things have since been cleared up. Our mothers didn’t seem to mind anymore that dad hadn’t been faithful. Instead, the laughed like old friends. And Amelia and I were almost like real sisters.

But, I’m glad we aren’t. If we were, Amelia wouldn’t be a guardian.

 

“I can’t wait!” Amelia squealed through the receiver.

I winced and pulled the phone away from my ear. “Doesn’t it make you even a little sad?” I hugged my stuffed polar bear tighter, imagining Amelia lounging on her hamburger-shaped bean bag, a neglected suitcase beside her.

I heard her laugh on the other end. “Maybe a little. But I get to live with you and dad!”

Guilt prickled on my neck. I was constantly being reminded that our dad had chosen to marry my mom instead of Amelia’s. He said it had been a tough choice, but I joked with Amelia that he’d just flipped a coin. She countered that it was because I’d been born first.

“Hellooo? You still there!”

I jumped a little when her voice intruded on my thoughts. “Sorry.” I gave Iigloo another squeeze. “Yeah, I’m listening.”

Amelia huffed into the phone. “Geez, Mads, you have to talk when you’re on the phone. Mute gestures don’t work. Oh, I almost forgot!” I could hear the beans in her chair rustle as she shifted. “Someone’s coming with me. And don’t worry, Dad already knows. It’s gonna be so much fun!”

She disconnected the call without saying goodbye. I sighed and shook my head. /Just like her./ I thought to myself. I crawled into bed, knowing I’d see her tomorrow.

But, when I opened the door the next day, it wasn’t Amelia I was greeted with. A boy I didn’t recognise was standing on the landing, a grin quickly spreading across his face.

He was clearly a boy, but his resemblance to Amelia was shocking. He even had a bomber jacket like hers. They could have been twins!

/So that’s what Amie’d look like with glasses./ I thought through my confusion.

“Mattie!” The boy’s voice was loud, furthering the similarities. “Dude, you never told me Amelia’s sister was your guardian!”

“What?” /Mattie?/ I was sometimes called Maddie, but never Mattie.

“Alfred!” Amelia stomped up the walkway from the road. “You have to help unpack the car!” Her eyes burned with anger as she glared at the boy. But, when she turned to me, all I saw was sheepish delight. “Sorry, Mads. We got here a little earlier than expected.”

“Huh?” Alfred squinted at me. “So you aren’t…” He turned to Amelia. “I thought we were moving in with you /sister/?” He prodded a finger on my forehead. “Who’s he?”

“I’m not a boy.” I tried to say it calmly, but my teeth were clenched. “My name is Madeline Acadia Williams. Amelia is my half-sister.” I gave him a sharp look as I brushed his hand away. “Who are you?”

“He’s Alfred. I told you about him last night.” Amelia walked past me carrying a suitcase, winking as she passed. “More hands on deck.”

Alfred ran back to the car and grabbed a few bags, then walked in like he owned the place.

“You said /someone/ was coming with you!” I ran after Amelia and caught her in the stairs. “You never said it was a boy. And what’s a guardian.” I added.

She sighed and turned to face me. “I’ll explain. Okay, Mads? But let me put these in my room. Talk to Al in the meantime.” She continued up the stairs and into the room beside mine, where she’d be staying until her mom returned from Japan.

“Hey, Mattie!” Alfred called and I ground my teeth together. “Where do you keep the burgers?”

“Maddie.” I reminded him, balling my hand into a fist, then releasing it. “And we don’t have any. We have ground beef. Make your own stupid burgers.” I turned to look at him with a warning. “Just don’t burn down the house.”

Alfred was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, leaning on the frame. I was startled again by how much he resembled Amelia.

“You look a lot like him.” He said softly.

“Who?”

“My brother.” He walked closer to me, a look of longing on his face. “You even have the same last name.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, but was spared the moment of blubbering by three commotions happening at once.

First, my cell phone rang, indicated a message that in itself was an oddity. No one ever messaged me except Amie.

Second, Amelia came running down the stairs and barrelled towards the front door.

Third, someone rang the doorbell three times in quick procession.

“This can’t be happening.” I heard Amelia exclaim as she wrenched the door open.

I sprinted up behind her and looked over her shoulder. Standing on the porch was a boy who looked just like me if I cut my hair and wore my glasses instead of contact lenses. He was even wearing the same red hoodie as me. He held a cell phone in a shaking hand.

“Matthew!” Amelia cried. She pulled him inside and gently pushed him toward me. She cautiously stuck her had outside and looked down the street before closing the door. “What happened to you?”

I gaped at him, shocked into silence. /Blood!/

It was streaked through his hair and splotches covered his jeans. His hand that wasn’t holding the phone was plastered on his side, where a dark stain was expanding. “They… saw me.” He said weakly before slipping into unconsciousness.

“Mattie!” Alfred pulled the boy from my arms and carried him to the couch. He cursed under his breath and his head snapped up to face me. “You! You should--”

“Al!” Amelia shouted. “Maddie didn’t know. You know how much I stumbled at first.”

Their voice stopped reaching my ears as I looked at the boy on the couch. Something about him was drawing me closer. I didn’t want to look away.

/Blood./ I reminded myself, shaking the feeling. I jogged to the kitchen and grabbed the first aid kit dad had bought when it’d been decided that Amelia would stay with us.

“She ran away!” I heard Alfred yell as I walked back.

“Give her a chance!” Amelia yelled back.

I put the kit down loudly on the floor in front of the couch. “Quiet.” I said calmly before pulling bandages and disinfectant from the kit.

I worked swiftly, ignoring the two Americans behind me. When I was done, I put the excess materials back and closed the lid.

Information pooled in my mind as I pulled a blanket over the boy. Alfred had said I looked like his brother and this boy looked like me. Al had called me Mattie and Amie had called this boy Matthew.

Conclusion: this was Alfred’s brother.

But why did he have stab wounds all over his abdomen?

“Is he alright?” Alfred’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I slowly nodded, not looking away. /Why do I feel like I’ve been stabbed?/

Amelia put a hand on my shoulder. “Mads?”

I shook my head and looked at her. “I’m fine. What did he mean by ‘They saw me’?”

Alfred tried to stifle a laugh, his good mood returning now that his brother was out of the woods. “It’s been a problem since we were… kids.” He stumbled over the last word. “He’s quiet, so most people never really notice him. He’s gotten used to being invisible.”

I frowned. “That’s not something you should have to be used to.” Amie and I both knew I was being hypocritical. I myself was all but invisible at my school.

Amelia gently pushed me to a chair and I sat down. “You okay?” She asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

“Yeah.” I gave her a puzzled look. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

She shared a glance with Alfred, then took a deep breath and pulled up her own chair. “Matthew didn’t come here because his brother was here. He came because… Because you’re here.” She took my hands in hers. “You have a connection with him, Mads. You’re like me. You’re a Country Guardian.”

The way she said it, I knew it was serious business. But I had no idea what she was talking about. I forced the corners of my mouth up in an obviously fake smile. “Really? Wow! That sounds really important.”

Alfred laughed and she shot him a glare. “This is serious.”

“I believe you, Amie.” I said honestly. “But I have no clue what it means.”

“A guardian is a female counterpart for a country representative.” Amelia stood up and walked over to Alfred. “Al represents America. That means, out of all the girls in the states, I was chosen to be his protector.” Side by side, there was no way she couldn’t be his counterpart: they were identical. “Matthew represents Canada, by the way.”

“But, if you’re that important, why do you need a teenager to protect you?” I turned to look at Matthew. “And who attached your brother?”

I looked back at him, but Alfred wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Recently, an organization has appeared and has been threatening us. At first, no one believed them. But lately…” he finally met my gaze. “Countries have been disappearing.”

I jumped to my feet. “And this hasn’t been in the news?!”

“No, no!” Amelia jumped to calm me down. “The actual land hasn’t moved! Just the personifications are missing.” She laughed at herself nervously. “I should have explained it that way. Alfred /is/ America.”

Alfred nodded along. “That’s why we need to find our guardians. The organization wouldn’t attack us if we were with civilians.” A dark shadow crossed his eyes. “But only a handful of us found a guardian in time. As of last month, all the other countries are missing.”

He gave me a sad smile. “That’s why I was so happy when I saw you. I thought my brother was safe with a guardian.”

I returned his smile. “Well, he is now.” I met Amelia’s eyes, and knew we had the same idea. “And we’re going to find your friends.”


	2. New Boy in Town

Amelia fidgeted on the bench we were sitting on. “Is it really okay to just leave them at home?” she asked again.

I glanced around the hall to make sure no one was listening. “Dad said he’d look out for them while we’re at school. When Matthew recovers, they’ll be enrolled too. Until then, we still have a job to do.” I looked back at the students who were ignoring us. “Remind me again what we should be looking for.”

Amelia swung her legs as she sipped her juice. “Well, this is how Alfred put it. Even if they don’t know they’re guardians, they’ll still feel sadness or a feeling of failure, since their charge is in danger.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “So we should be looking for people who aren’t themselves.” I groaned, realizing it was up to me to notice something like that, since Amie had just transferred. But I usually keep to myself, so I had no idea what to look for.

Amelia laughed at my discouraged face. “Hey, we only have to look at the girls, since all countries are boys.”

I looked at her, puzzled. “Why should that matter? You said all guardians were girls.”

She squirmed and looked away. “Technically, it’s just the opposite gender.”

I sighed heavily. “Alfred said /almost/ all the countries were boys.” I bumped her shoulder. “That means that some are girls.”

“Some of what are girls?”

We jumped and looked up. A boy with longish brown hair pulled back with an elastic was looking down at us.

“Oh, uh, hi…” I scrambled my brain, trying to remember his name. /David? Dylan?/ “Daniel, right?”

He smiled. “Yeah.” His voice was tinged with a faint European accent. “I’m glad someone actually knows my name. People just call me Hungary here.” He made a sour face.

“Why’s that?” Amelia asked, oblivious. I ran my elbow into her side.

But Daniel just laughed. “I moved here from Hungary. I’m still a little homesick.” He admitted.

An idea came to me and I took a breath. “Hey, when you were still in Hungary, did anyone you didn’t know approach you and say you were special?”

He looked shocked, and a little sheepish. “Yeah. A woman came to my school randomly. She said she needed my help, but I didn’t listen to her. Stranger Danger, you know?” He tried to laugh it off, but it didn’t work. “But, since then, I can’t seem to forget her.”

Amelia leaned forward, excited. “Who was she?” she mock-whispered.

“I think she said her name was Elizaveta.” He shook his head a little. “She wasn’t a tourist, I know that much.”

I could see Amelia was getting overly exited at the new information. I grabbed her arm and pulled her up. “It was nice talking to you, Daniel.” I pretended to notice the clock behind him. “But we’d better get going. I have to show my sister where everything is.”

I waved good-bye and was surprised when he returned the gesture.

“He’s gotta be one!” Amelia hissed in my ear.

I squeezed her arm. “And how do we know for sure? We can’t just show up and say he’s a protector of a whole country. He’d think we’re crazy!”

She frowned, but dropped the subject for the time being.

Somehow, dad had gotten her into all of my classes, despite the fact that I’d doubled up on English the previous year and was in level 4 instead of level 3. I was surprised when Amie told me she’d done the same thing.

/Maybe she isn’t such an airhead./ I thought to myself. /She actually thinks./

But when the day came to an end, I found myself retracting that thought.

“No!” I said firmly, shaking my head for emphasis.

Amelia glared at me through the bush she’d hunkered down behind. “We need to find out if he really is a Guardian.” She pouted. “And we need to do it fast.”

“I don’t care. We are NOT stalking him!” I protested.

“I won’t.” She promised dismissively. “But if you aren’t going to join me, then go home. I can’t hide with you talking to me. It looks suspicious.”

Someone chuckled behind me. “Very suspicious.”

I spun on my heels and came face to face with Daniel. He’d somehow managed to sneak up on us. “Who are you hiding from?” He asked Amelia.

“Bullies.” I answered quickly. “She’s hiding from bullies.” I laughed nervously. “You know how it is. Moving to a new place.”

He nodded, a little sadly. “At least she has you for support. I didn’t have anyone.”

I grabbed Amelia’s arm and pulled her out of the bush. “Well, it’s better to go home than hide, right Amie?” She nodded reluctantly. “See you tomorrow, Daniel.”

“Bye.” He waved as we walked away before heading toward the bus stop.

Amelia pouted. “We could have asked him about it!” she complained. “Now we have to wait until tomorrow!”

“We need to get home.” I said as I dragged her down the sidewalk. “Or did you forget about Matthew?”

Her eyes widened and she stopped resisting. “Homeward bound!” She giggled.

I smiled at her change in attitude, but it quickly fell away. I couldn’t explain way, but I had a sinking feeling in my gut. Is he okay? I quickened my pace and overtook Amelia when I saw the house.

/Everything looks okay./ I breathed a sigh of relief. /Must just be my imagination./

But when I opened the door, I ducked on instinct as a pillow came flying at me. Amelia, however, wasn’t so lucky. She was hit square in the face and was knocked backwards. “What was that?” She spluttered, dazed from the attack.

“What’s going on?” I called inside as I helped her to her feet.

Alfred came running to Amelia’s side. “Good news is, Matthew’s awake and feeling a bit better.” He tried to laugh, but there was too much concern in his voice to lighten the mood. “Bad news, he thinks the organization’s got him. Madeline, you need to go in there and calm him down.”

He stared at me, waiting for a response. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to realize he was talking to me. “No one ever calls me ‘Madeline’.” I informed him before cautiously entering the house.

I took in the disaster zone that was once called our living room. The big arm chair was tipped over and its cushions were on the other side of the room. The couch, where Matthew had been when we’d left for school, was pushed up against the wall, creating a barricade. I could hear movement coming from behind it and stepped closer.

“Matthew?” I called tentatively as I approached.

The voice that responded wasn’t his, but my father’s. “Maddie, look out!” He yelled, his face appearing between the couch and the wall.

I turned around and saw Matthew, another pillow raised over his head, ready for launch. He froze and just stared at me. When he finally spoke, it wasn’t more than a whisper. “Who are you?”

“Acadia.” I gave him my middle name, thinking it would calm him down. It didn’t.

“Acadia isn’t one of us!” He yelled surprisingly loudly and threw the pillow.

I caught it and let it fall to the floor. “I’m not one of you.” I agreed. “That’s just my name. Matthew, calm down and listen. You came here yesterday with a large cut on your side. Don’t you remember?”

He glanced around the room suspiciously. “Why would I come here?” The question was directed more to himself than to me. His gaze returned to me. “Is Acadia really your name?”

I looked away guiltily. “Not quite.” I mumbled. “Madeline Acadia Williams. That’s my full name.” I gave him a shy smile. “Apparently, I’m your guardian.”

Behind him, I saw Alfred lead Amelia into the room. She still looked dazed and sat on a discarded cushion to rest. When she was settled, Alfred approached his brother. “Dude, Maddie’s just trying to help. She’s the one who patched you up.”

Matthew touched his side and sank to the floor, finally relaxing. “Sorry.” He sighed. “I was… I was so scared.”

I sank down beside him and hugged him gently. “Hey, I get scared all the time. I was really scared when you showed up covered in blood. I thought you might die.” Talking about it made me start crying. “We were all scared.”

Behind me, I could hear my dad pushing the couch away. “Is everything alright?” He walked past me to talk with Amelia. “Do we have to find his guardian as well?”

/Dad knows./ I remembered that Amelia had said she’d worked it out with him already. /But he doesn’t know about me./ I wiped my eyes and saw Amelia roll her eyes.

“Dad.” She gestured toward me and Matthew. “Maddie is his guardian.”

“Really?” His surprise was a bit disconcerting, considering it was pretty obvious. “I thought he came here because you were here.”

Alfred laughed and slapped his shoulder. “Dude, it doesn’t work like that. Only I have a connection with Amelia. Mattie came looking for his guardian, Maddie.” He and Amelia both snorted at the similarity in our names.

I pulled away from Matthew to help him to his feet. He thanked me, then started apologizing for attacking me. I told him to just forget it, but he didn’t listen.

“Any progress?” Alfred changed the subject to finding the other guardians. “I mean, you had a whole day.”

“Minus classes.” Amelia groaned. “But yeah, a day should be enough for a clue.” She sounded just like her charge.

“How did it go?” Matthew asked quietly. It seemed I was the only one who heard him.

“Nothing’s confirmed yet.” I explained. “But there is a boy at school who seems not all there.”

“And he’s from Hungary!” Amelia added.

I saw dad slip out of the room, mumbling about the confusing state of affairs. I was worried when I saw him limping, but didn’t bring it up. Matthew would feel terrible if he knew dad was hurt.

“Should we look into it.” Matthew asked quietly, confidence shining in his eyes. However, that confidence was snuffed out when Alfred asked the same question a second later.

I squeezed his shoulder to let him know I’d heard him.

“We can all look tomorrow!” Amelia clapped her hands. “You’ll be starting at our school!”

Alfred groaned, not at all thrilled with the idea, but Matthew smiled, no doubt glad that he wouldn’t be left alone.


	3. Who You Gonna Call?

I was surprised by how well Matthew and Alfred adapted to school life. By the time we met up for lunch, Alfred was surrounded by a group of kids he introduced as his new friends. Matthew didn’t say much, but he seemed happy to be seen and nut just pushed out of the way.

I looked over at Amelia and saw that she was bristling with Jealously. Whether it was directed at Alfred or the girls clinging to him, I wasn’t sure.

“Sorry, guys.” Alfred said to his friends. “Mattie and I promised to hang out with our cousins today.”

It was still weird to hear the story we’d made up, but it was necessary. We told people that Matthew and Alfred were our uncle’s adopted sons who’d come to visit for a while. Much easier than trying to convince everyone they were the personifications of two countries.

The boys in Al’s group nodded and left without complaint, some even saying goodbye to Matthew, who looked shocked but returned the formality. The girls, however, resisted, not wanting to leave the boys with two girls, even if we were their cousins.

Amelia and I were so caught up in the scene that we didn’t notice Daniel approaching from behind us. “What’s all the commotion about?” He asked, making me jump.

“The girls won’t take a hint and leave.” Amelia seethed with anger.

Daniel looked at me for more of an explanation. “The four of us were going to hang out at lunch.” I explained. “I need to show them around the school, too. But Alfred’s followers seem to be stuck to him.”

Daniel laughed, which attracted the attention of the girls. He waved politely at them, causing many to turn bright red. The group ran down the hall as if running from a roaring fire.

“How’d you do that?” Amelia asked, a little two happy for the situation.

“Do what?” He asked back, obviously hurt by their reaction. “That’s just how all girls at this school act around me.” He flashed us a smile. “Well, except you two.”

“Hey, dude.” Alfred stepped between us. “Stop flirting with our cousins.”

Daniel’s face turned red and he stepped back. “Sorry.” He directed it more at me than Alfred. “I didn’t mean anything to sound flirtatious.”

Matthew tugged on Alfred’s sleeve. “Do you think…” he whispered, probably not meaning too.

Alfred squinted, but nodded begrudgingly. “Maybe.”

“We thought so, too.” Amelia chimed in.

I rolled my eyes and nudged both of them. “Are we going to tell him, or not?” I glared at Amelia, thinking she should know better. “If not, stop talking about it.”

“Um, I think I should go.” Daniel started to edge away, but Alfred reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Sorry.” Matthew apologized for his brother’s behavior. “But we need to talk to you.”

Daniel’s face paled and he looked at me, being the sanest of the group. “About what?”

I sighed and stepped forward, pinching Alfred’s hand until he released his grip. “No point in being stealthy anymore.” I settled on the direct approach. “You’ve been sad recently, right? And you have no idea why.” Daniel hesitated, but nodded. “That’s because Elizaveta is in danger.”

“Wait, hold up.” He held up his hands to stop me, a gesture I thought only happened on tv. “You mean that girl who showed up at my old school?”

“Yes.” Matthew continued my explanation. “She wasn’t just any girl, thought. She is Hungary.”

Daniel shook his head. “Now you’ve lost me. She’s a country?” When the four of us nodded together, his face paled even more and he started shaking. “How… People can’t… It’s not possible!”

“It’s true.” Matthew pleaded. “I’m Canada and I was attacked because of it.” He pulled up his shirt to show the bandages on his side. “There are people out there hunting us down. Hungary was probably taken just after she contacted you.”

“But why me?”

Alfred tapped his foot impatiently. “Dude, you’re a guardian. Guardians have to help their countries and protect them. Until now, you haven’t really been needed. That’s why you didn’t know.”

Daniel locked his eyes on mine, almost begging for me to say it was all a joke. “It’s true.” I confessed. “I’m Matthew’s guardian. I only found out two days ago. Amelia’s known for a while, so she’s the one to talk to.”

Amelia shoved my shoulder gently. “Hey, I’ve only known for a few months. If you have any questions, talk to Rosa.”

Now I was also confused. “Why would our cousin be a better contact?”

“She’s England’s guardian.” Alfred explained, still impatient.

“Our family’s full of guardians.” Amelia joked.

“I’ll… talk to you later.” Daniel said, backing away slowly.

“We aren’t crazy!” Amelia called after him, making her sound even more crazy. “Honest!”

He waved goodbye. “See ya, Maddie.”

I sighed and turned to my ‘family’. “You couldn’t help it, could you.”

“But you believed us.” Alfred countered.

I rubbed my temple. “Yes, but I could feel what you were talking about.” I looked at Matthew and smiled. “When Mattie was hurt, I felt hurt. When he was scared, I was scared. You’re trusting Daniel will believe us at the drop of a hat.”

A bell rang, telling us afternoon classes would start in ten minutes. I sighed and led the way to the boys’ next class. Once they were settled, Amelia and I walked back to our lockers to grab books.

When I opened my locker, a slip of notebook paper fluttered out. Amelia grabbed for it, but I was faster and stuffed it in my bag.

“What’s it say?” she pestered.

“Don’t know.” I replied. “I haven’t read it yet.”

“So read it.” She feigned grabbing at my bag. I pushed her away and closed my locker. “Obviously, someone wants you to read it.” I shot her a look, and she recoiled innocently. “Other than me, of course. I didn’t write it.”

“And you won’t read it.” I added. “It was put in my locker. Odds are, it’s private.”

She pouted, but didn’t protest, knowing I was right. We walked to our next class in silence. When we walked in, we split apart. Due to my bad eyesight, I had to sit in the front, while Amie grabbed a seat in the back.

Once I was sure she was chatting with our classmates, I pulled the note from my bag and opened it. It was from Daniel, asking if we could talk after school, just the two of us. No Amelia.

I smiled at the clarification. Under the message was his cell number. I quickly added it to my contacts list before ripping up the note. /Sorry, Amie./ I apologized mentally. /But this is something you can’t know about./ I sent him a message and we agreed to meet at the bush Amelia had been hiding in. All I had to do was get away from Amelia after our last class so she wouldn’t tag along.

As it turned out, luck was on my side. Amelia had to talk to our teacher after class about an upcoming test. I slipped out the door while she was distracted and sprinted to the meeting. I was surprised to see that Daniel was calm and rational.

“How are we supposed to find Elizaveta?” He asked after rushed hellos.

I shook my head. “I don’t know, honestly. Matthew found me.” I thought a bit more. “Apparently, guardians who are aware of who they are can sense when another country is nearby.” Amelia had explained that much. She said that was how she’d known Matthew was at the door before we had. “We should train our senses.”

Daniel nodded in agreement, then frowned. “But we don’t know what those senses feel like. What if we feel their presence, but don’t realize it?”

“You ask really good questions.” I laughed, then groaned. “We should talk to Amelia about it.”

“Could it be like feeling ghosts?” Daniel asked. “A girl at my old school said Elizaveta was a spirit because she came up on her ‘Paranormal-Radar’.” He laughed at the name. “Though, she herself was a bit strange.”

I pulled out my cell phone and reluctantly texted Amelia the question. “It’s possible.” I returned my attention to Daniel. “What was her name?”

“Julchen Beilschmidt. We were friends when we were little.” He pulled his wallet out of his bag and showed me a picture of him and two girls. “That’s her.” He pointed to the girl with long white hair and striking red eyes with a scar on her cheek.

I felt a shiver run down my spine. The girl looked ready to kill. “Um, how did she get that scar?” I asked tentatively.

Daniel laughed. “She tried to… I guess you would call it sledding here. Except, she tried it in the summer. She hit a tree head first.”

I laughed, too. “Did she ever get into fights?”

“All the time.” He pointed to the other girl. “Most of the time, she fought with Sophia.”

“Not physically, I hope.” The other girl looked like a model or an heiress. Her long brown hair was held back with a jeweled hairpin and her purple gown suggested she came from a family of influence.

Daniel chuckled and shook his head. “No, but she did brawl with her bodyguards. Sophia was an exchange student from Austria.”

“Which one did you like more?” Amelia surprised us by popping out of the bush.

I glanced between her and the school. “How did you do that?”

Daniel was blushing beside me and shuffling his feet. “We were all just friends.”

Amelia ignored his response, but laughed at my reaction. She climbed out of the bush and dusted the leaves from her jacket before pulling out her cell phone and bringing up my text. “It’s not exactly like sensing ghosts, but it’s similar. It’s kind of like a half-presence, since countries aren’t really human.”

“So Julchen might be a guardian.” I translated into simpler terms. “But we can’t be certain unless we meet her.”

“Then you should come to my house.” Daniel suggested. “She’s visiting for the week.”


	4. I dub thee...

Daniel’s house was bigger than I’d expected. While my house was on the large side for our neighborhood, his was just huge. There were even actual balconies on the second and third story windows.

“Whoa!” Amelia voiced what I was thinking. “I didn’t know there was a house like this in town!”

“My mom had it built shortly before we moved here.” Daniel shifted uncomfortably as he pulled a key ring from his bag. He unlocked the door and led us into the front hall. “I think Julchen’s out shopping right now, so feel free to sit anywhere and wait. I’ll get us some drinks.”

Once he was around the corner, Amelia ran into the adjacent room and flopped down in a large armchair. “This is awesome!”

I rolled my eyes, but followed. “It’s just a house. It has the same function as ours.”

“But it’s way cooler.” Amelia curled up in the chair and closed her eyes. “Too bad Alfred and Mattie had to stay behind at school.”

I picked up her discarded bag and propped it against the wall with my own. “And whose fault is that?”

Amelia had mapped out the best burger places and given it to Alfred, knowing perfectly well that he would skip his afternoon classes visiting each one. Twice. He’d finally returned to the school as the final bell was ringing.

Since it had been his first day, his teachers had kept him after class to speak with the principal. Matthew had stayed behind with him.

“Hey, those are great burger places.” Amelia thought that was the only defense she needed to justify her actions. “Have you been to that place by the bank?”

“Yeah. Once.” I sat on the floor in front of her chair and looked up at her. “I like their milkshakes.”

“Are you talking about The Main Diner?” Daniel asked, coming into the room with glasses of iced tea. “I’ve heard it’s a great place, but my parents don’t like eating out. Is it good?” He gave me a puzzled look before setting the drinks on the table beside me and pulling in a wooden chair from the hall.

“We should all go sometime!” Amelia suggested. “That can be our meeting place!” She bounced in her chair, more excited than the situation called for. “We’ll be like a band of superheroes! I’ll be the leader, of course!”

“We can’t be superheroes.” Daniel pointed out. “We don’t have super powers.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll just be a hero and you two can be my sidekicks!” Amelia laughed and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

I decided to humor her for the time being. “And what’s our mission, Hero Amelia?”

She chuckled condescendingly. “It’s simple, Madness.” She shot back. “We must find the guardians and save the world!”

“And defeat the Evil Organization!” Daniel added.

“Right… uh…” Amelia trailed off, trying to think of a name for him.

The front door slammed shut, interrupting our conversation. “Hey! GirlyBoy!” A girl yelled as she walked into the room. I recognized her from Daniel’s picture. Julchen. “What’s with all the yelling? I can hear you from down the street.”

Amelia tried to stifle a laugh. “GirlyBoy?”

Daniel blushed and ducked his head. “This is Julchen.” He stated. “Julia, this is Maddie and Amelia. They’re my friends from school.”

Julchen looked at us and sneered, making her look even more menacing. “What is this, a superhero fan-club meeting?”

“Is not!” Amelia seemed to take it a little too personally. “It’s the Adventures of the Country Guardians.”

“Like farming heroes?” Julchen antagonized.

My sister took the bait. “Like countries of the world!”

Julchen laughed and took an iced tea from the table. “You talking about that ghost back home?”

“Elizaveta wasn’t a guardian.” I corrected her. “She’s a country. Daniel’s the guardian.”

“Now you’ve lost me.” Julchen laughed nervously and turned to walk away, but changed her mind. “Why would a country be a human? That’s just stupid.”

Amelia leaned forward. “What’s her problem?” She whispered, probably not realizing the other girl could still hear her.

Daniel leaned forward as well, but his voice was lower, a real whisper. “Julchen’s boyfriend disappeared the day before Elizaveta contacted me. He’d just shared a big secret with her, too, so she’s been upset ever since.”

“What was the secret?” Amie pried.

But Daniel just shook his head. “She wouldn’t tell me.”

“I can hear you, you know.” Julchen grumbled, then let out a sigh. “He doesn’t exist.” She sat on the floor and looked directly at me, the only one not gossiping about her. “Since you guys already know about them, I guess it’s okay to tell you. My boyfriend, Gilbert, wasn’t human.”

Amelia gasped and Julchen shot her a glare before continuing. “I knew right away.” She tapped her forehead. “Paranormal-radar. But he wasn’t a ghost either. He was… a spirit. The spirit of a lost country.” She coughed to hid the crack in her voice. “That’s why he doesn’t exist.”

Amelia crossed her arms, her face contorting with her brain working overtime. “I don’t get it!” She finally announced.

I rolled my eyes and swatted at her foot. “Prussia.” I told her, not breaking eye contact with Julchen. “Your boyfriend was Prussia, wasn’t he?” When she nodded, I gave her a smile. “That probably means you’re also a guardian.”

“I’m not joining your little band of adventurers.” She scoffed, rising elegantly to her feet. “But I will stick around until I get more information on what happened to Gil.”

“Aren’t you only here for the week?” Amelia asked, directing the question at Daniel.

Julchen shrugged and looked down at her friend. “No problem. I can just call home and say I’m staying longer. Daniel doesn’t mind.”

He forced a tight laugh. “You’re always welcome, Julia.”

She chuckled smugly and swept out of the room. Once she was gone, Daniel let out a sigh. “Julchen always gets what Julchen wants.”

“Must be tough.” I sympathized. “Has she always been like this?”

He nodded. “Pretty much. Though, it’s been worse since Gilbert went missing.”

“We’ll find him.” I assured him. “And Elizaveta.”

Daniel smiled gratefully. He opened his mouth to say more, but Amelia interrupted him by shoving her cell phone into my face. “We’ve gotta go, Mads.”

I sighed after reading the message displayed. “Alfred’s done at the school. We need to walk home with them.”

“I understand.” Daniel nodded along. “Keep them safe.”

I got up to leave, then remembered the iced tea on the table. Amelia was already skipping out the door, but I stopped to drink a glass. “Thanks for the tea.” I added politely. He smiled, grateful for the lighter mood.

“Anytime.” He called after us.

We caught a bus back to the school and met the boys outside the main office. Amelia also got chewed out for misleading Alfred. Matthew was praised for staying in class despite his brother’s invitation to join him. I just got a look of pity and we were on our way.

“Just don’t do it again.” I concluded my own reprimand as I opened the front door to our house. “We can go out after classes sometimes.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Alfred repeated for the tenth time. He’d been saying that phrase the whole walk.

I led the way into the kitchen in time to see dad walking out to the living room. He stopped when he saw us. “You’re home.” He said a little guiltily. “I made pasta.” He pointed at four wrapped bowls on the table. I saw a fifth empty bowl in the sink.

“Thanks dad.” I said as I checked the temperature of the food. Still hot. I pulled the plastic wrap off as Amelia grabbed some forks. “Sorry we’re late.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He said over his shoulder. I checked my watch and saw it was almost time for the news. Dad always watched the news.

The four of us sat down and started eating. Despite his afternoon snack, Alfred finished his dinner in record time. Amelia glared at him, having finished in one more bit than him.

“Better luck next time.” He teased.

“No fair!” My sister challenged. “You’ve had more practice than I have!”

“So practice more.”

“But you keep practicing, too! I’ll never catch up!”

I snickered and they turned on me. “Hey, I’m not competing here.” I amended. “Amelia, isn’t there something you’ve done today that Alfred hasn’t?”

Amelia clapped her hands and sneered at Alfred. “That’s right. And it’s much more important, so I win the day.”

“You found another guardian?” Matthew guessed.

I twirled my pasta absentmindedly and stared at the ceiling. “Yeah, but I don’t expect it to be this easy the whole way through. We still need to find all the countries.”

Matthew nodded. “If it was that easy, this wouldn’t be a problem.”

Amelia jumped to her feet, sending her chair toppling to the ground. “We’ve got this!” She declared. “Just leave it to the Hero Amelia and her sidekicks, Madness and GirlyBoy!” Alfred gave her a high-five.

Matthew and I exchanged a worried look. Personally, I was wondering if all guardians had identical personalities to their countries. If I was right, then why was I so different from Matthew? While I shared his quiet demeanor, I wasn’t shy like him and I had a tendency to lose my temper.

“Maddie! Amelia!” Dad called from the next room. “You two had better take a look at this! I think I’ve found a country.”

“As if it’s that easy, dad.” Amelia laughed as we walked into the room. She stopped when she saw the news bulletin playing on the tv.

Two boys had been hit by a drunk driver while crossing an intersection. Miraculously, they were still alive. What’s more, they didn’t seem to have a single injury.

“The boys have identified themselves as Arthur and Peter Kirkland.” The reporter continued her story. “While these brothers were unharmed, their sister, Patricia Kirkland, has been rushed to Queensway Hospital with more severe injuries. Arthur has informed authorities that he and his siblings had recently arrived from England to visit family friends.”

“Arthur?!” Alfred rushed into the room when he heard the report. Matthew came in right behind him. “He’s here?!”

“Who is he?” Amelia asked.

“He’s England.” Matthew explained, his face pale. “And his brother, Peter, is Sealand.”

“What’s Sealand?” Dad asked, looking around our group.

I looked to Amelia, but she looked just as confused. I rolled my eyes. “It’s a country.” I pointed out what should have been obvious, given our current predicament. “Dad, don’t you remember the project I did last year? About the fire?”

“I thought that was an Amusement Park.”

“Seaworld,” I corrected. “is a park. Sealand is the smallest country in the world.”

Dad nodded dismissively, not ready to get into this discussion with me. He knew I would win. “So, they didn’t get hurt because their countries?” He clarified.

“Yeah.” Amelia confirmed. “But Patricia was hurt because she’s human. Probably a guardian.”

“Whatever the case, you’d better get going.” Dad stood and pulled out his car keys. “The accident wasn’t too far from here. They probably need your help.”

I reached out and gave his arm a squeeze. “You’ll keep us posted, right?”

He smiled and ruffled my hair. “I’m sure she’s fine.” His smile slipped into a frown. “It’s her sister I’m worried about.”

Amelia pushed him toward the door. “Please!” she scoffed. “If Arthur’s here, she’s probably not far behind.”

We all walked outside and watched Dad pull away before heading off in the other direction.

“What was that about?” Alfred asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Pattie is Rosa’s younger sister.” Amelia filled him in. “Just like Maddie’s my sister.”

“Only, they aren’t half sisters.” I corrected. “Isn’t that important? Why isn’t Sealand’s guardian from Sealand?”

“Nobody lives on Sealand.” Matthew explained. “So his guardian would be English.”

Amelia groaned. “I liked this better before it got complicated.”

I shot her a glare. “I liked it better before our cousin was hospitalized.”


End file.
